Tour ace tees up new role

Tour star Samantha Head has joined iPlayGolfUK to boost the indoor golf facility’s coaching and custom-fitting team.

A familiar face on the Ladies European Tour for twenty years, the 42-year old Italian Open and South African Open champion also played for three seasons on the Japanese LPGA Tour.

Head, who most recently won the Ladies European Tour Qualifying School in 2007, retired five years ago from Tour life to start a family and is now en route to becoming PGA qualified.

She is seen frequently quain golf magazines, is a Sky Sports golf pundit on TV, and currently contributes regular features and articles to Women & Golf magazine.

“You will never truly master golf,” said Head, “but you should always enjoy the process of getting there.

"You find out pretty quickly on Tour that you learn far more from your bad rounds than your good rounds, so I like to teach golfers how not to get down on themselves when the inevitable demons take over their golf swing!

“If I can teach golfers how to laugh at misfortune on the course, and learn from it instead, I’ll have achieved something important.

“I love to teach high-handicappers and beginners, as they can make great strides very quickly. But I think I also have a lot to offer the better player, naturally, including those who are looking to find that extra few percent which takes them into Category 1 and beyond”.

Head is the first female golf coach to join the team at iPlayGolfUK. She joins PGA Professionals Greg Tilbury and Danny Poulter at the UK’s largest indoor golf experience, located close to Newport Pagnell just five minutes from M1 Junction 14.

“Over the years Samantha has worked with amazing golf coaches such as David Leadbetter and Sean Foley” said Poulter, director of golf at iPlayGolfUK.

“This factor, along with her long history of competing at the highest level on Tour, gives her an unbelievable amount of authority on how to reduce your score – regardless of your level of ability.

“Samantha adds incredible experience to our coaching and custom-fitting setup, and we could not ask for a more exciting addition to the team here at iPlayGolfUK!”

Simon Avery, general manager of iPlayGolfUK, said: “Word is already spreading throughout that Samantha is now working at iPlayGolfUK. A lot of people remember her and her sister, Johanna, from their days on Tour, and she adds that crucial female angle to the coaching staff here.

“We’re becoming increasingly popular with families as an entertainment destination, whether they are golfers or not, and it was important for us to find the right woman to become the female face of iPlayGolfUK. With her fascinating Tour golf experience, her coaching skills and her exceptionally friendly personality I am sure that Samantha is going to become a firm favourite with all of our customers”.

The Bedford-based Tour star is looking forward to working in the technologically-advanced environment at iPlayGolfUK.

“Simulators give you so much useable information, whether you’re playing for fun or getting serious about your game” she said. “iPlayGolfUK is a fantastic place to play golf day or night, whatever the weather, and as one of the UK’s largest custom-fitting facilities offering almost all of the major brands, we have the ability to create your best-ever set of golf clubs right here.

“I believe that when you stop learning, you stop living, and that’s also my philosophy towards golf. I’m looking forward to meeting and teaching people when they come to experience our wonderful playground for all golfers!”